Just Look…

…stop and take notice of your world around you.  If you want to find something to be thankful for, all you have to do is look.

After our ride on the elephant and long naps, we went to the riverfront to walk around, have some yogurt and hit the market…These are people’s homes.  These people work hard.  I’m sure they are thankful they have something to live in. 

These kids ate our left over food, grabbed our cups with ice and straws, drank formula that I poured out of a bottle into a cup and played with Zachary.  They were happy.  I gave them all of riel I had in my change purse and we told the older girl to split it up.  Each one had about 800 riel, a cup of ice with a straw and something to drink and they were standing around laughing, hand in the pocket, one on the drink.  I am thankful I can feed my babies…that they don’t have to ask someone for their leftovers…

What I know is all these people I’ve met are happy.  They are kind.  They have big hearts.  They make do with one pair of shoes.  They can live and work with only 2 outfits.  They eat, they work, they play.  Most can’t afford to celebrate a birthday.  They are not ashamed to ask for a piece of chocolate if Zachary is eating a chocolate bar.  They love my babies.  They work…HARD.  I see all ages of people pushing and peddling their goods…and I mean ALL ages.  I’ve seen 6 year old boys selling fresh flower air fresheners in the middle of the street at 6 o’clock at night…I’ve seen 80 year old women pushing a cart of clams…I love the Cambodian people I’ve met.  They are proud of who they are and I’m proud to know them.  The life stories I’ve heard so far are amazing and heart wrenching…mother’s dying at young ages, left with no choice but to work to support the family at the age of 9, required to leave school for 3 years but still managed to graduate at the age of 18, drowned trying to save a piece of coal and saved by the man who gave it to her…And thru it all, still a smile on a face…a hard worker…kind…loyal…gentle…

All you have to do is look…there is always something to be thankful for, people less fortunate than the least fortunate…Look for your joy today!